JP6830001B2 - Transmission equipment and work robots - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transmission device that transmits encoder information to a control unit and a working robot including the transmission device.

In recent years, in order to save labor at production sites, for example, in the field of FA (Factory Automation), automation of work using a work robot is progressing. The working robot includes, for example, an electromagnetic motor as a drive source for moving an end effector or an arm, and a control unit for controlling the electromagnetic motor. The control unit (for example, an amplifier) drives and controls the electromagnetic motor based on the encoder information output from the encoder that detects the displacement of the electromagnetic motor. Further, in this type of work robot, as the number of electromagnetic motors and encoder devices mounted on end effectors and the like increases, communication that connects a fixed portion provided with a control unit and a movable portion provided with an encoder is performed. The number of cables increases. On the other hand, for example, there is one that multiplexes the communication between the motor control circuit provided in the joint portion and the host computer in the fixed portion (for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-137608

By the way, in the above-mentioned working robot, there is a possibility that the type of encoder or amplifier may be changed due to a change in specifications or progress in development. At this time, when one of the encoders and amplifiers is changed according to a change in specifications or the like, it may be necessary to change the other device as well.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a transmission device capable of suppressing changes in other devices due to changes in the types of encoders and control units as much as possible, and a work robot provided with the transmission device. The purpose is to provide.

The present specification is a transmission device that inputs encoder information according to the movement of a movable portion from an encoder and outputs the encoder information to a control unit that executes control based on the encoder information, and is connected to the encoder. An encoder information input unit that inputs the encoder information from the encoder, and a protocol conversion unit that executes a conversion process that converts the encoder information input by the encoder information input unit into data in a data format that can be processed by the control unit. An encoder information output unit that is connected to the control unit and outputs the converted encoder information converted by the protocol conversion unit to the control unit, and an external interface. The protocol conversion unit is provided with the external interface. The content of the conversion process is changed based on the change data input from the interface , and the movable portion moves based on the encoder information previously input from the encoder and the encoder information newly input from the encoder. A position estimation unit that executes an estimation process for estimating an estimated movement position to be moved is further provided, and the position estimation unit discloses a transmission device that changes the content of the estimation process based on the change data. To do. The present specification also discloses a working robot provided with a transmission device.

According to the present disclosure, a transmission device (protocol converter) that relays encoder information even if the type of encoder or control unit is changed and the communication protocol for transmitting encoder information is changed due to changes in specifications or progress in development. It can be dealt with by changing the conversion process of.

It is a perspective view which shows the component mounting machine of this embodiment. It is a block diagram of a component mounting machine. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state of performing on-the-fly imaging.

(1. Configuration of parts mounting machine 10)
Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the working robot of the present invention is embodied will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the component mounting machine 10 of the present embodiment. FIG. 1 shows two component mounting machines 10 arranged side by side on the common base 11. The component mounting machine 10 is a device that is connected to other devices such as a solder printing machine, a substrate inspection machine, and a reflow machine to form a production line, and produces a circuit board on which a large number of electronic components are mounted. The two component mounting machines 10 have the same configuration. Therefore, in the following description, one of the two component mounting machines 10 will be mainly described.

The component mounting machine 10 is configured by mounting various devices such as a board transfer device 13, a component supply device 15, a head drive mechanism 17, and a parts camera 19 on a common base 11. In the following description, as shown in FIG. 1, the direction in which the component mounting machines 10 are arranged side by side is the X-axis direction, and the direction parallel to the substrate plane of the circuit board to be conveyed and perpendicular to the X-axis direction is the Y-axis. A direction perpendicular to both the direction, the X-axis direction, and the Y-axis direction will be referred to as a Z-axis direction.

The substrate transfer device 13 is a so-called double conveyor type device in which the first transfer device 21 and the second transfer device 23 are arranged side by side in the Y-axis direction. Each of the first and second conveyors 21 and 23 has a pair of conveyor belts (not shown) arranged along the X-axis direction. Each of the first and second conveyors 21 and 23 orbits a pair of conveyor belts and conveys the circuit board supported on the conveyor belts in the X-axis direction. Further, each of the first and second transfer devices 21 and 23 is provided with a stopper (not shown) provided at the upper part of the circuit board and a stopper (not shown) provided at the lower part of the circuit board which has conveyed the circuit board to the stop position where the parts are mounted. It is sandwiched and fixed in the Z-axis direction by a clamper (not shown). For example, each of the first and second transport devices 21 and 23 transports the circuit board carried in from the upstream device such as a solder printing machine in the X-axis direction, and clamps the circuit board at the stop position. When the mounting work is completed, the first and second transfer devices 21 and 23 transport the circuit board in the X-axis direction and carry it out to the subsequent device.

The component supply device 15 is a feeder type device, and is provided at a front end portion (lower left side in FIG. 1) of the component mounting machine 10 in the Y-axis direction. The component supply device 15 is provided with a plurality of feeders 25 arranged side by side in the X-axis direction on the common base 11. Each feeder 25 is configured to be removable from the common base 11, and supplies electronic components from the loaded tape feeder 27 to the supply position. The tape feeder 27 is a medium for supplying electronic components, and a carrier tape holding a large number of electronic components at regular intervals is wound around the tape feeder 27. In the feeder 25, the tip of the carrier tape is pulled out to the supply position, and different types of electronic components are supplied for each carrier tape. The supply positions of the feeders 25 are arranged side by side along the X-axis direction. Therefore, the supply position differs in the X-axis direction depending on the type of electronic component.

The head drive mechanism 17 is an XY robot type moving device. The head drive mechanism 17 slides the slider 31 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. A mounting head 33 is attached to the slider 31. By driving the head drive mechanism 17, the mounting head 33 moves to an arbitrary position on the frame portion 35 in each of the component mounting machines 10.

A nozzle holder 37 is provided below the mounting head 33. The nozzle holder 37 holds a plurality of mounting nozzles downward. Each of the mounting nozzles is connected to the negative pressure air and positive pressure air passages via a positive / negative pressure supply device (not shown), and the electronic components are attracted and held by the negative pressure to supply a slight positive pressure. Remove the electronic component held by. The mounting head 33 is capable of rotating the nozzle holder 37 around the Z axis, for example. Further, the mounting head 33 is capable of individually extending the selected mounting nozzles downward in the Z-axis direction and degenerating upwardly. Further, the mounting head 33 can individually rotate the selected mounting nozzles around the Z axis. The mounting head 33 includes, for example, a servomotor, a rotary encoder that detects a rotational position of the servomotor, and the like as a drive source for these drive operations.

The parts camera 19 is provided between the board transfer device 13 and the parts supply device 15 in the Y-axis direction. The parts camera 19 is installed on the frame portion 35 in a state where the imaging direction is set so that the upper part in the Z-axis direction can be imaged. The imaging position in this embodiment is set in the space above the parts camera 19. The parts camera 19 executes so-called on-the-fly imaging in which an electronic component adsorbed on a mounting nozzle passing through an imaging position is imaged from below.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the component mounting machine 10. Note that FIG. 2 shows a part of the configuration of the component mounting machine 10. Further, FIG. 2 collectively shows an amplifier 43 and a head drive mechanism 17 corresponding to each of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the main control unit 41 of the component mounting machine 10 is connected to the head drive mechanism 17 via an amplifier 43 and an intermediate board 45.

The main control unit 41 is built in, for example, the frame unit 35. In addition to the head drive mechanism 17, the main control unit 41 is connected to the board transfer device 13, the parts supply device 15, and the parts camera 19 described above. The main control unit 41 acquires various information from the head drive mechanism 17 and the like, and comprehensively controls the component mounting machine 10 based on the acquired information.

The main control unit 41 includes a main board 51, a servo controller 52, and an image processing board 53. The main board 51 is mainly composed of a computer equipped with a CPU, RAM, and the like, and comprehensively controls the mounting work of electronic components in the component mounting machine 10. The main board 51 is connected to, for example, a production line management computer (not shown) via a network, and control data (so-called jobs and recipes) for controlling the operation of the component mounting machine 10 is downloaded from the management computer. To do. The main board 51 executes control on the servo controller 52, the image processing board 53, and the like based on the downloaded control data.

The servo controller 52 controls the amplifier 43 based on the control of the main board 51. The servo controller 52 is connected to the amplifier 43 via the servo network cable 61. The servo network cable 61 is, for example, a LAN cable.

The amplifier 43 is connected to the intermediate board 45 via an encoder cable 62. The intermediate board 45 is connected to the head drive mechanism 17 via an encoder cable 63. The amplifier 43, the intermediate board 45, and the head drive mechanism 17 execute communication conforming to, for example, the RS-485 standard via the encoder cables 62 and 63.

The head drive mechanism 17 includes a linear motor 71 and a linear encoder 72. The head drive mechanism 17 includes a linear motor 71 and a linear encoder 72 corresponding to each of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The linear motor 71 functions as a drive source for sliding the slider 31 (see FIG. 1) in each of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The slider 31 moves to arbitrary positions in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction based on the drive of the linear motor 71.

The linear motor 71 includes, for example, a guide rail fixed to the component mounting machine 10 and an exciting coil provided in the guide rail. In the linear motor 71, permanent magnets of N pole and S pole are alternately arranged in the guide rail. A slider 31 is integrally attached to the exciting coil. The linear motor 71 moves the slider 31 (exciting coil) in the guide rail by supplying electric power to the exciting coil.

The linear encoder 72 detects the position of the slider 31 (mounting head 33) that moves in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction according to the drive of the linear motor 71. The linear encoder 72 outputs the positions (XY coordinate values) of the slider 31 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction to the intermediate board 45 as encoder information ED1.

The intermediate board 45 includes a protocol conversion unit 81, a position estimation unit 82, a storage unit 83, and the like. The protocol conversion unit 81, the position estimation unit 82, and the storage unit 83 are constructed as a logic circuit configured on a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) included in the intermediate board 45, for example.

The encoder information input unit 85 of the intermediate board 45 is a connector connected to the encoder cable 63. The encoder information input unit 85 is connected to the linear encoder 72 via an encoder cable 63. The encoder information input unit 85 inputs the encoder information ED1 from the linear encoder 72. The protocol conversion unit 81 converts the encoder information ED1 input from the linear encoder 72 via the encoder information input unit 85 into data in a data format (encoder information ED2) that can be processed by the amplifier 43 and the main control unit 41. To execute. For example, the linear encoder 72 executes synchronous half-duplex communication with the amplifier 43 via the intermediate board 45, and transmits / receives encoder information ED1 (encoder information ED2). This synchronous communication is, for example, communication compliant with the HDLC (High level Data Link Control) communication standard. The protocol conversion unit 81 inputs encoder information ED1 from the linear encoder 72 by communication of a communication protocol other than HDLC, and converts the input encoder information ED1 into encoder information ED2 for synchronous communication conforming to the HDLC standard. The head drive mechanism 17 may output a plurality of encoder information ED1s corresponding to each of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction to the intermediate board 45 with separate encoder cables 63. Alternatively, the head drive mechanism 17 may multiplex a plurality of encoder information ED1s corresponding to each of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction and transmit them to the intermediate board 45 as one multiplexed data.

Further, the intermediate board 45 includes an external interface 87. The external interface 87 is, for example, a LAN interface. The external interface 87 is connected to the main control unit 41 via the LAN cable 65. The LAN cable 65 is, for example, a LAN cable compliant with the communication standard of Gigabit Ethernet (registered trademark). The intermediate board 45 can input the change data CD from the main control unit 41 via the LAN cable 65. The intermediate board 45 changes the contents of the conversion process by the protocol conversion unit 81 described above and the estimation process by the position estimation unit 82 described later based on the input change data CD. Specifically, for example, the intermediate board 45 inputs config data as a change data CD from the main control unit 41, outputs the input config data to the FPGA, and reconfigures the protocol conversion unit 81 and the position estimation unit 82 ( Reconfigure). The processing contents of the protocol conversion unit 81 and the position estimation unit 82 are changed by being reconfigured. The change data CD is not limited to the config data, and may be, for example, data that only changes the set value. Further, the intermediate board 45 may save the input change data CD (config data) in a memory or the like and read the change data CD from the memory or the like into the FPGA. Further, the intermediate board 45 may change only the processing content of one of the protocol conversion unit 81 and the position estimation unit 82.

The encoder information output unit 86 of the intermediate board 45 is a connector connected to the encoder cable 62. The encoder information output unit 86 is connected to an amplifier 43 (an example of a control unit) via an encoder cable 62. The protocol conversion unit 81 outputs the converted encoder information ED2 to the amplifier 43 via the encoder information output unit 86. The amplifier 43 transfers the encoder information ED2 input from the head drive mechanism 17 (intermediate board 45) to the servo controller 52 via the servo network cable 61.

The servo controller 52 controls the linear motor 71 via the amplifier 43 based on the encoder information ED2. For example, the servo controller 52 executes communication by an industrial network (SynqNet or the like) with the amplifier 43 via the servo network cable 61. The servo controller 52 calculates a target position and speed of the linear motor 71 based on the instruction information (movement destination information and the like) from the main board 51 and the encoder information ED2 acquired from the linear encoder 72. The servo controller 52 issues a torque command TC to the amplifier 43 to change the position of the linear motor 71 or the like according to the calculated target value.

The amplifier 43 changes the electric power V (current or voltage) supplied to the exciting coil of the linear motor 71 corresponding to each of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction based on the torque command TC. The amplifier 43 changes the position of the linear motor 71 and controls the position and moving speed of the mounting head 33. As a result, the servo controller 52 executes feedback control such as PID control according to the calculated target value, and appropriately changes the position and speed of the head drive mechanism 17 (slider 31). The mounting head 33 moves to a position of arbitrary XY coordinates on the frame portion 35 according to the driving of the head driving mechanism 17.

Further, the image processing board 53 inputs the setting information D1 from the intermediate board 45 at each stage of the mounting work. The image processing board 53 transmits the image pickup start information TR instructing the start of image pickup to the parts camera 19 based on the input setting information D1. Further, the image processing board 53 inputs the image data captured by the parts camera 19 and detects the state of the electronic component held by the suction nozzle of the mounting head 33.

(2. Estimating the moving position)
As described above, the parts camera 19 takes an on-the-fly image of the moving mounting head 33. Further, the position estimation unit 82 of the intermediate board 45 outputs the setting information D1 indicating the timing when the mounting nozzle of the mounting head 33 passes the imaging position of the parts camera 19 from the setting information output unit 88 to the image processing board 53. The setting information output unit 88 is, for example, an I / O interface that outputs a differential signal indicating the imaging timing as setting information D1 to the image processing board 53. The transmission method of the setting information D1 is not limited to differential transmission, and for example, a photocoupler may be used.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a state in which on-the-fly imaging is performed. The component mounting machine 10 repeatedly executes the mounting operation of driving the mounting head 33 to mount the electronic component 92 at the supply position 91 of the feeder 25 at the mounting position 95 of the circuit board 94 based on the control of the main control unit 41. ..

First, the head drive mechanism 17 moves the mounting head 33 above the supply position 91 of the feeder 25 that supplies the electronic component 92 to be mounted. The mounting head 33 attracts the electronic component 92 at the supply position 91 by the mounting nozzle 97. Next, the head drive mechanism 17 moves the mounting head 33 to the imaging position 99 above the parts camera 19. The parts camera 19 takes an on-the-fly image of the state in which the electronic component 92 of the mounting nozzle 97 is attracted from below.

Next, the head drive mechanism 17 moves the mounting head 33 to the upper side of the circuit board 94 positioned at the stop position by the board transfer device 13 (see FIG. 1). On the other hand, the image processing board 53 executes image processing on the captured data of the parts camera 19. The main control unit 41 rotates the mounting nozzle 97 based on the image processing result of the image processing board 53, and corrects the suction position shift of the electronic component 92 held by the mounting nozzle 97. The main control unit 41 and the image processing board 53 make corrections between on-the-fly imaging and mounting the electronic component 92 at the mounting position 95. Then, the mounting head 33 lowers the mounting nozzle 97 to mount the electronic component 92 on the circuit board 94. In this way, by correcting the position of the electronic component 92 while moving the mounting head 33 without stopping, the mounting efficiency can be improved.

The position estimation unit 82 of the intermediate board 45 is estimated to move the mounting head 33 based on the encoder information ED1 previously input from the linear encoder 72 and the encoder information ED1 newly input from the linear encoder 72. Estimate the position. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the position based on the encoder information ED1 acquired from the linear encoder 72 to the intermediate board 45 in the previous communication cycle is set as the previous position 101. Further, the position based on the encoder information ED1 acquired from the linear encoder 72 to the intermediate board 45 in the next communication cycle is set as the current position 102.

In this case, the position estimation unit 82 uses, for example, the difference in the X coordinates between the previous position 101 and the current position 102, that is, the distance Lx1 moved in the X-axis direction from the previous time to the current time for one cycle of the encoder information ED1. Divide by time, i.e. travel time. As a result, the velocity Vx, which is a component of the velocity Vt at the current position 102 along the X-axis direction, is calculated.

Similarly, the position estimation unit 82 sets the difference in Y coordinates between the previous position 101 and the current position 102, that is, the distance Ly1 moved in the Y-axis direction from the previous time to the present time, for one cycle of the encoder information ED1. Divide by time (travel time). As a result, the velocity Vy along the Y-axis direction at the current position 102 is calculated. The position estimation unit 82 can estimate the movement destination (estimated movement position) of the mounting head 33 after passing through the current position 102 by using the velocities Vx and Vy.

Here, the main board 51 performs a setting process on the intermediate board 45, for example, prior to on-the-fly imaging. For example, in the control data (job) transmitted from the management computer of the production line to the component mounting machine 10, information on the installation position of the parts camera 19 is set as data indicating the device configuration of the component mounting machine 10. The main board 51 detects the installation position of the parts camera 19 from the control data acquired from the management computer. Then, the main board 51 instructs the servo controller 52 of the positions (imaging position 99 and mounting position 95) where the mounting head 33 should be moved, and also notifies the imaging position 99 of the parts camera 19.

The servo controller 52 notifies the intermediate board 45 of the installation position information D2 in which the position for moving the mounting head 33 and the information for the imaging position 99 are set (see FIG. 2). The servo controller 52 outputs the installation position information D2 to the intermediate board 45 via the LAN cable 65. Therefore, the main control unit 41 of the present embodiment executes the setting of on-the-fly imaging for the intermediate board 45 via the LAN cable 65 and the external interface 87.

The position estimation unit 82 detects the XY coordinates of the imaging position 99 based on the installation position information D2 input from the servo controller 52. As shown in FIG. 3, the position estimation unit 82 has, for example, a distance Lx2 in the X-axis direction from the current position 102 to the imaging position 99 and a distance Ly2 in the Y-axis direction from the current position 102 to the imaging position 99, respectively. The square root is calculated by adding the squared values of. As a result, the position estimation unit 82 calculates the distance Lt (= √ ((Lx2) ² + (Ly2) ² )) from the current position 102 to the imaging position 99.

Similarly, the position estimation unit 82 calculates the square root by adding, for example, the squared values of the above-mentioned velocities Vx and Vy. As a result, the position estimation unit 82 calculates the velocity Vt (= √ ((Vx) ² + (Vy) ² )) toward the imaging position 99 at the current position 102. Then, the position estimation unit 82 can estimate the time required to move from the current position 102 to the imaging position 99 by dividing the distance Lt by the velocity Vt. Thereby, the time when the mounting head 33 reaches the imaging position 99, that is, the timing of on-the-fly imaging can be determined. As described above, the estimation process by the position estimation unit 82 can be changed by reconfiguring the change data CD.

The position estimation unit 82 outputs setting information D1 indicating the timing when the mounting head 33 passes the image pickup position 99, that is, the timing when the image pickup position 99 of the installation position information D2 and the estimated estimated movement position match. Output from unit 88 to the image processing board 53. The image processing board 53 outputs the image pickup start information TR to the parts camera 19 based on the input setting information D1. As a result, on-the-fly imaging can be performed at the timing when the mounting head 33 passes the imaging position 99.

(3. About storage unit 83)
Next, the storage unit 83 will be described. The storage unit 83 includes a memory or the like for storing a predetermined amount of data of the encoder information ED1 input from the encoder information input unit 85. Alternatively, the storage unit 83 may include an external storage device such as a hard disk connected to the intermediate board 45. The storage unit 83 outputs the stored encoder information ED1 as stored data D3 from the external interface 87 in response to a request from the main control unit 41, for example. The main control unit 41 can acquire all the encoder information ED1 output from the linear encoder 72. Therefore, it is possible to display the encoder information ED1, analyze the defect based on the encoder information ED1, or optimize the setting (installation position information D2, etc.) based on the analysis result.

The storage unit 83 may store and output information (logs and the like) other than the encoder information ED1. For example, the storage unit 83 may store the history information that outputs the setting information D1 (imaging timing) and the log that can trace the processing contents of the protocol conversion unit 81 and the like (FPGA). Further, the intermediate board 45 may sequentially transfer the encoder information ED1 to the main control unit 41 without temporarily accumulating the encoder information ED1. As a result, the main control unit 41 can quickly acquire the encoder information ED1 in the communication cycle between the intermediate board 45 and the head drive mechanism 17 (such as the serial communication cycle of RS-485).

Incidentally, the component mounting machine 10 is an example of a working robot. The parts camera 19 is an example of an imaging device. The mounting head 33 and the linear motor 71 are examples of movable parts. The amplifier 43 and the main control unit 41 are examples of control units. The intermediate board 45 is an example of a transmission device. The image processing board 53 is an example of an image processing unit. The linear encoder 72 is an example of an encoder.

(4. Effect)
According to the embodiment described in detail above, the following effects are obtained.
(Effect 1) The intermediate board 45 (transmission device) inputs encoder information ED1 according to the movement of the mounting head 33 and the linear motor 71 (moving part) from the linear encoder 72 (encoder), and controls based on the encoder information ED1. The encoder information ED2 is output to the executing amplifier 43 and the main control unit 41 (control unit). The intermediate board 45 is connected to the linear encoder 72, and the encoder information input unit 85 for inputting the encoder information ED1 from the linear encoder 72 and the encoder information ED1 input by the encoder information input unit 85 can be processed by the amplifier 43 or the like. A protocol conversion unit 81 that executes a conversion process for converting to format data, an encoder information output unit 86 that is connected to the amplifier 43 and outputs the converted encoder information ED2 converted by the protocol conversion unit 81 to the amplifier 43. It includes an external interface 87. The protocol conversion unit 81 changes the content of the conversion process based on the change data CD input from the external interface 87.

According to this, the protocol conversion unit 81 converts the encoder information ED1 input from the linear encoder 72 into data in a data format that can be processed by the amplifier 43, and outputs the converted encoder information ED2 to the amplifier 43. As a result, the amplifier 43 having different specifications and the linear encoder 72 can be connected. Further, the intermediate board 45 includes an external interface 87 capable of inputting a change data CD. Then, the protocol conversion unit 81 changes the content of the conversion process based on the change data CD input from the external interface 87. As a result, even if the types of the linear encoder 72 and the amplifier 43 are changed and the communication protocol for transmitting the encoder information ED1 is changed due to changes in specifications or development progress, the intermediate board 45 (protocol conversion) that relays the encoder information ED1 This can be dealt with by changing the conversion process of Part 81). That is, by changing the content of the conversion process by the change data CD input from the external interface 87, for example, it is not necessary to change the amplifier 43 in response to the change of the linear encoder 72.

(Effect 2) Further, it is estimated that the intermediate board 45 is the destination to which the mounting head 33 moves based on the encoder information ED1 previously input from the linear encoder 72 and the encoder information ED1 newly input from the linear encoder 72. A position estimation unit 82 that executes an estimation process for estimating the moving position is further provided. The position estimation unit 82 changes the content of the estimation process based on the change data CD.

According to this, the position estimation unit 82 estimates the estimated movement position of the mounting head 33 based on the past encoder information ED1 and the new encoder information ED1. As a result, the estimated movement position can be estimated at the stage when the intermediate board 45 acquires the encoder information ED1 without the need for processing of the amplifier 43 and the main control unit 41 above the amplifier 43. Further, the movement destination of the mounting head 33 is estimated in a shorter time than the cycle for transmitting the encoder information ED1 (for example, the cycle for serial communication of the RS-485 standard), that is, before the next encoder information ED1 is acquired. it can. As a result, for example, the moving mounting head 33 can be imaged on the fly at a more appropriate timing. Further, the position estimation unit 82 can change the content of the estimation process by the change data CD. Therefore, when it is desired to change the content of the estimation processing, the processing content may be changed for the intermediate board 45 using the change data CD, and the processing content for other devices (main control unit 41, amplifier 43, etc.) may be changed. No need to change. Further, if the position estimation unit 82 is set not to execute processing, for example, the intermediate board 45 is used for the component mounting machine 10 that does not require the position estimation unit 82 (for example, only the protocol conversion unit 81 is required). The processing content of can be optimized.

(Effect 3) Further, the intermediate board 45 further includes a setting information output unit 88 that outputs setting information D1 according to the estimated movement position estimated by the position estimation unit 82.

According to this, the image processing board 53 connected to the setting information output unit 88 can execute processing according to the movement of the mounting head 33 (movable unit) based on the setting information D1 input from the intermediate board 45. The "processing according to movement" referred to here is, for example, a process of imaging a moving mounting head 33, a process of suppressing interference between the mounting head 33 and other devices due to movement, and the like.

(Effect 4) The setting information output unit 88 is connected to the image processing board 53 (image processing unit). The image processing board 53 outputs the image pickup start information TR instructing the parts camera 19 (imaging device) to image the mounting head 33, and is based on the setting information D1 input from the setting information output unit 88. Then, the image pickup start information TR is output to the parts camera 19.

According to this, the image processing board 53 (image processing unit) can output the image pickup start information TR to the parts camera 19 according to the estimated movement position (setting information D1) estimated by the position estimation unit 82. The parts camera 19 can take an image of the mounting head 33 at an appropriate timing according to the movement of the mounting head 33.

(Effect 5) The position estimation unit 82 inputs the installation position information D2 indicating the position where the parts camera 19 (imaging device) is installed from the external interface 87, and the estimated movement position and the position indicated by the installation position information D2 (imaging position 99). ) And the setting information D1 indicating the timing of matching is output to the image processing board 53.

According to this, the position estimation unit 82 uses the image processing board for setting information D1 indicating the timing at which the position (imaging position 99) of the installation position information D2 of the parts camera 19 and the estimated movement position of the mounting head 33 match. Output to 53. The image processing board 53 outputs the image pickup start information TR to the parts camera 19 based on the input setting information D1. As a result, imaging can be performed at a timing when the imaging position 99 of the parts camera 19 and the position of the mounting head 33 coincide with each other. Further, the main control unit 41 connected to the external interface 87 can set the imaging timing and the like for the intermediate board 45 by the installation position information D2.

(Effect 6) Further, the intermediate board 45 further includes a storage unit 83 that stores the encoder information ED1 input from the encoder information input unit 85 by a predetermined amount of data and outputs the stored encoder information ED1 from the external interface 87. ..

According to this, the storage unit 83 stores the encoder information ED1 by a predetermined amount of data. An appropriate value can be set for the amount of data to be stored according to the storage capacity of the storage unit 83, the communication speed of the LAN cable 65, and the like. The storage unit 83 outputs the stored encoder information ED1 from the external interface 87. Therefore, the intermediate board 45 outputs the encoder information ED1 from the external interface 87 separately from the encoder information output unit 86. As a result, the main control unit 41 connected to the external interface 87 can acquire all the encoder information ED1 output from the linear encoder 72 and analyze the defect.

(5. Deformation mode)
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the main board 51 and the image processing board 53 are not limited to the board (board), and may be, for example, a processing module (software) that can be realized by executing a program on the CPU.
Further, in the above embodiment, the linear encoder 72 is adopted as the encoder of the present application, but another encoder, for example, a rotary encoder can also be adopted. Further, in this case, a servomotor may be used instead of the linear motor 71.
Further, in the above embodiment, the estimated movement position estimated by the position estimation unit 82 is used as a start instruction (trigger) for imaging by the image processing board 53, but it may be used for other purposes. For example, when a plurality of mounting heads 33 work in cooperation with each other, the moving destinations of the plurality of mounting heads 33 may be estimated based on the estimated moving positions to suppress the interference of the plurality of mounting heads 33.
Further, in the above embodiment, the parts camera 19 is adopted as the image pickup apparatus in the present application, but a camera for other purposes, for example, a mark camera for capturing a mark attached to the circuit board 94 may be adopted.

Further, in the above embodiment, the component mounting machine 10 for mounting the electronic component 92 on the circuit board 94 is adopted as the working robot provided with the transmission device in the present application, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the working robot may be a robot having an end effector at the tip of the arm, or a screen printing device that prints solder on the circuit board 94.

10 Parts mounting machine (working robot), 19 parts camera (imaging device), 33 mounting head (moving part), 41 main control unit (control unit), 43 amplifier (control unit), 45 intermediate board (transmission device), 53 Image processing board (image processing unit), 71 Linear motor (moving unit), 72 Linear encoder (encoder), 81 Protocol conversion unit, 82 Position estimation unit, 83 Storage unit, 85 Encoder information input unit, 86 Encoder information output unit , 87 External interface, 88 Setting information output unit, CD change data, D1 setting information, D2 installation position information, ED1, ED2 encoder information, TR imaging start information.

Claims (6)

A transmission device that inputs encoder information according to the movement of a movable unit from the encoder and outputs the encoder information to a control unit that executes control based on the encoder information.
An encoder information input unit that is connected to the encoder and inputs the encoder information from the encoder.
A protocol conversion unit that executes a conversion process for converting the encoder information input by the encoder information input unit into data in a data format that can be processed by the control unit.
An encoder information output unit that is connected to the control unit and outputs the converted encoder information converted by the protocol conversion unit to the control unit.
With an external interface,
The protocol conversion unit changes the content of the conversion process based on the change data input from the external interface .
A position estimation unit that executes an estimation process for estimating an estimated movement position to which the movable unit moves, based on the encoder information previously input from the encoder and the encoder information newly input from the encoder. To prepare for
The position estimation unit is a transmission device characterized in that the content of the estimation process is changed based on the change data. The transmission device according to claim 1, further comprising a setting information output unit that outputs setting information according to the estimated movement position estimated by the position estimation unit. The setting information output unit is connected to the image processing unit, and is connected to the image processing unit.
The image processing unit outputs imaging start information instructing an imaging device that images the movable portion to perform imaging, and based on the setting information input from the setting information output unit, the imaging start information. The transmission device according to claim 2, wherein the image is output to the image pickup device. The position estimation unit inputs installation position information indicating the position where the image pickup device is installed from the external interface, and inputs the setting information indicating the timing at which the estimated movement position and the position indicated by the installation position information match. The transmission device according to claim 3, wherein the transmission device outputs to the image processing unit. Claims 1 to 4 include a storage unit that stores the encoder information input from the encoder information input unit by a predetermined amount of data and outputs the accumulated encoder information from the external interface. The transmission device according to any one of the above items. A working robot comprising the transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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